I received a call the other day from Teri Chouinard, new membership chair for the SPE Automotive Division. She told me that she would be attending an upcoming event for new members and wanted to review the SPE member benefits.
I logged into 4spe.org so I could use our homepage to help navigate our conversation. We talked about the launch of THE CHAIN, SPE’s very own community forum, and how members were really finding it a benefit to exchange information on all technology aspects of our industry. They like being able to ask trusted sources for help on a technical problem or new innovations.
For people seeking more extensive support, they can find a specialist in various plastics fields on SPE’sConsultant Circle. Or if they’re simply looking for the newest detailed technology information, all SPE members can access SPE’s Online Technical Library, which contains over 25,000 research and technical papers on materials, processes, applications, etc., in polymer and plastics technology. I told her the library grows each year with over 1,000+ new papers!
We spoke about how everyone in this day and age is so busy, and they have very little time to filter the right information about what’s going on in their specific part of our industry. Several members had vocalized that they received way too many general newsletters and it would be a real benefit to them to get only the current industry happenings related to their technical area. I told her that’s how PLASTICS INSIGHT, SPE’s weekly fully customizable online report of current plastics industry happenings, came to be. You can customize the report, so you only receive the information that’s relevant for you or your company.
We talked about SPE’s publicationsPLASTICS ENGINEERING magazine and SPE Technical Journalsbothhaving anew look and feel. She commented that she noticed the magazine had more content as well.
Meanwhile, SPE members receive discounts on all of SPE’s conferences around the world—about 40 events per year—and on other education and training programs through the SPE, such as weekly Webinars, and on our Paulson Training, Pennsylvania College of Technology, and UL partnerships.
“SPE is partnering even more now,” I said, “because we realize this really benefits our members.”
SPE and SPI are partnering to offer free membership for all U.S. students. This allows students to package their SPE membership with an SPI electronic membership. This way, plastics students are networking with professionals before they even hit the workforce, making for a smoother transition at the start of their careers.
SPE has also partnered with Credible, an organization that refinances student loans, which gives SPE members and their families a simple, free service that can help them save money by comparing their options.
Teri especially liked it when I told her about SPE selling HOP™ (Hands on Plastics™) science education kits now. We talked about how the kits contain everything needed to introduce K-8 students to the chemistry and characteristics of plastics in a classroom setting. I told her about the grandfather who purchased a kit because he volunteered to go into his grandchild’s class and teach. He called me the day after to tell me the class was a success. He said it was quite easy to do because everything he needed, including the experiment instructions and the teaching tips, were in the kit.
We also spoke a bit about the Industry-Academia Collaboration committee, which connects the industry with the academic-research world for specific projects. Teri’s daughter goes to one of the schools that received an equipment donation from a manufacturer. She commented on how important it is to her daughter’s and other students’ education for companies and universities to work together in other areas as well, like project collaboration and mentoring.
At the end of the call, I told her that if anyone had any questions or needed any more information on any of these benefits, to contact SPE staff. They would be happy to help!
Sue Wojnicki
Manager, SPE MarComm